The importance of rural nonagricultural activities in sub-Saharan Africa has been growing during the past two decades, but their role in rural development is still unclear. Current debate about... Show moreThe importance of rural nonagricultural activities in sub-Saharan Africa has been growing during the past two decades, but their role in rural development is still unclear. Current debate about agricultural and rural development centres on two competing paradigms, one focused on increased market orientation and the new global order, the other beamed at local development and environmental issues. However, neither encompasses the role of rural nonagricultural activities. The present paper reviews the two paradigms and their nonagricultural oversight. The two prevailing approaches to rural nonagricultural activities are the livelihoods perspective, which emphasizes the supplementary value of income generation for rural people who cannot survive on their agricultural incomes alone but is less concerned with their role in the rural production system, and the multiplier perspective, which focuses on the economic linkages of nonagricultural activities with agricultural production and rural household consumption but largely ignores their dominant nature as trade and service functions. The paper concludes with a discussion of the service perspective on rural nonagricultural activities Show less
Drawing on research findings emanating from the De-Agrarianisation and Rural Employment (DARE) Research Programme, coordinated by the African Studies Centre, Leiden, this paper compares changing... Show moreDrawing on research findings emanating from the De-Agrarianisation and Rural Employment (DARE) Research Programme, coordinated by the African Studies Centre, Leiden, this paper compares changing economic and social patterns in a wide variety of rural settlements in sub-Saharan Africa. Recently emerged or refashioned income diversification tendencies are highlighted and linked to the blurring of strong rural-urban contrasts. After a schematic consideration of continental trends, followed by a more detailed examination of rural livelihood patterns, the author teases out some of the major tensions embedded in the broad-based reorientation of rural livelihoods, leading to a discussion of how effective current government and donor policies are in addressing this rural transformation. The conclusion returns to the issue of sub-Saharan Africa's 'betwixt-and-between' status (the balancing act of African rural dwellers caught in between farm and nonfarm, family and individual, and rural and urban contrasts), arguing that the uncertainty could be alleviated with a more directional policy approach, an approach that facilitates provisioning of rural households and communities local-level, daily needs, and strengthens public policy, training facilities and infrastructure for future occupational diversification and specialization. Show less
This paper examines the interface between work conditions of rural women in Africa and Western perceptions and interventions to address them. From a schematic review of Western attitudes towards... Show moreThis paper examines the interface between work conditions of rural women in Africa and Western perceptions and interventions to address them. From a schematic review of Western attitudes towards African rural women's work, the paper moves on to consider donor intervention directed at improving rural women's status. The central question posed is how external donor agenciescan extend beyond localized project efforts to provide the material foundation for facilitating widespread change in women's working day of a self-determing nature. A 'homestead economics' approach is suggested as a catalyst for change. In this programme, women's labour constraints rather than income generation is given precendence. Furthermore, teenage girls would be specially targetted for training and income generating activities, with emphasis on creating new economic and social expectations. It is argued that changes in young women's attitudes and skills could have a far-reaching effect Show less
Much has been written on African peasantries in general and on 'peasant wars' in Africa in particular, and yet there is a remarkable gap in the existing literature. On the one hand, literature on... Show moreMuch has been written on African peasantries in general and on 'peasant wars' in Africa in particular, and yet there is a remarkable gap in the existing literature. On the one hand, literature on peasant wars in general tends to ignore Africa South of the Sahara; on the other hand, none of the studies of specific African peasantries have probed their material in the light of the more general debates. The present paper tries to remedy this anomalous situation. It first discusses two general theories on the revolutionary potential of different categories of peasants, viz. the theory developed by H. Alavi (1965) and E.R. Wolf (1973) and that proposed by J.M. Paige (1975). It then examines these theories in light of some examples of peasant unrest from Africa, notably Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Chad, Madagascar, Angola, and Kenya. The analysis suggests that neither theory is able to account for all the cases examined. Show less
Une première exploration, limitée à quelques pays africains et européens. De la relation entre l'État et la langue deux aspects juridiques sont traités: les possibilités de participation pour le... Show moreUne première exploration, limitée à quelques pays africains et européens. De la relation entre l'État et la langue deux aspects juridiques sont traités: les possibilités de participation pour le citoyen et la protection offerte par l'État aux habitants qui parlent une langue autre que la langue officielle. Show less
